Attracting investment is a major challenge for most tech startups. This challenge is even more daunting for women-led companies that attract only 2.2 percent of available venture capital.
Early-stage Nigerian venture capital firm GreenHouse Capital has selected 10 startups for its accelerator program which aims to support women-led or female-focused startups.
The three-month accelerator gets the tech startups investment-ready by providing tech entrepreneurship training, a minimum of $100,000 investment in each startup and access to a global network of mentors and investors.
The Lagos-based accelerator program ends in a demo day in early December where the startups are expected to present their ideas to investors and industry stakeholders.
GreenHouse Capital is a Lagos-based venture capital firm that is run by founding partners Bunmi Akinyemiju and Kunmi Demuren.
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Here are 10 early-stage African tech startups aiming to attract investment through GreenHouse Capital’s female-focused accelerator program.
Nigerian e-health startup Doctoora is a patient-centered healthcare platform that aims to provide affordable and accessible healthcare to consumers. The platform, which is based in Lagos, operates with a co-working approach by providing equipment and facilities to health professionals on a short-term rental basis. The Doctoora platform also offers consumers on-demand access to health information and care from a vetted network of health professionals, according to LinkedIn.
Gricd is a Nigerian startup that has conceptualized an internet of things-based cold storage solution that can easily be transported as needed. The smart active cooling devices are used to store and transport temperature-sensitive vaccines and medications. The solution is becoming a popular way for farmers to transport goods that need to stay cool, according to Gricd.
Mashup Beauty is a Nigerian e-commerce startup that focuses on driving customer acquisition and sales for beauty-focused small and medium businesses, which are usually owned and run by women, through an online marketplace and business management software solution.
Nigerian dating platform Datespace attempts to bring a fresh twist to typical dating apps by helping to connect young, working professionals while also designing memorable dating experiences that users can enjoy. Launched in February 2019, the Datespace platform targets busy young Africans who struggle to meet potential partners and would like to do so through an app that uses a compatibility score to suggest potential matches.
Nigerian entertainment platform Whip Music Africa describes itself as the LinkedIn for African music professionals and aims to serve as a platform where music artists and creatives within the African music industry can connect, network and find opportunities. Its underlying goal is to increase collaboration and revenue creation in the music industry.
Vesicash is a Nigerian fintech startup that enables secure online and offline transactions through its mobile platform and promotes financial transparency between small businesses. The digital escrow platform was founded by Lagos-based software developer Aigiomawu Ehiaghe.
Nigerian startup SchoolsFocus offers a comprehensive online management and digitization solution built for the education sector which provides schools with a website and management portal. Those tools help schools across Nigeria to maintain an online presence, improve marketing and interact with current and alumni students online.
Nigerian e-learning platform Otrac is focused on the medical and healthcare industry, providing tailored online courses for public and general health practitioners. The platform claims to have more than 8,000 subscribers. Otrac was founded by CEO Farida Kabir, a software developer and public health scientist who was selected as the team lead for Google Women TechMakers Abuja and the co-organizer for Google Developer Group, Abuja, according to the Guardian.
Ghanaian fintech startup Bace provides an onboarding platform that uses artificial intelligence and facial recognition to solve the problem of identity in Africa, beginning with financial institutions that have some of the strictest security requirements of any industry, according to Forbes. Bace received a $100,000 investment from the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology in 2018. Bace was launched in 2018 by Ivorian co-founder and chief marketing officer Charlette Desire alongside Ghanaian co-founders Jean Cedric Attiembonon and Samuel Sowah Mensah.
Botswana-based startup Vimosure leverages sensor-based internet of things systems and data analytics to reduce costs and increase transparency in the insurance industry. Twenty-three-year-old web developer Refiloe Matlapeng is the CEO and founder of the company. Before creating Vimosure, she built an android app called TutorDoctor which connects tutors to students.
